Fire-extinguisher.



M. FELLOWS.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION man JAN. 20. 1915.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I M.'FELLOWS.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20.1915- 1,217,4=28.' Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L14 IIIIIIII/ M. FELLOWS;

FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, 1915.

Patnted Feb. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 umm EfERs cu. Puomuma. WASNINGMN. a c

MELVIN FELLOWS, OF CHENEY, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE A. FELLOWS, ONE-FOURTH TO JOHN H. WINTER, AND ONE-FOUBTH TO JOHN M. BENIDICT, ALL OF CHENEY, WASHINGTON. V

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

' Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application filed January 20, 1 915. Serial No. 3,340.

To all whom it may) concern:

Be it known that I, MELVIN FELLOWS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Cheney, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain loss of property and life.

Spontaneous combustion sometimes results from the constant and intense vibration to which the dust particles are subjected, the resulting heat often rendering the particles incandescent. This friction set up is not only due to engagement of the dust particles with structural parts, but also to friction generated'by the particles moving rapidly through the air. Sometimes static charges are generated, due to this excessive friction, and in such cases disastrous results from fire and explosion often occur. Now during operation of a machine of this character, such for'instance as a threshing machine, the attention ,of the'operatives is so concentrated upon the work being performed that incipient developments of explosion and fire are not noticed until it is too late to bring to bear any kind of efiicient remedy for preventing disastrous results.

It is one of the objects of this'invention to equip a grain treating machine such as a threshing machine, fanning mill, and like machines of this character, with means for constantly, although not necessarily con- A further novel feature consists in equipping machines of this character with apparatus for extinguishing a fire after the same has been started.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a threshing machine showing applied thereto one form of the device of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3'3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevation of that portion of the apparatus. Fig; 5 is a sectional View on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, V

Fig. 6 is anenlarged view partly in elevation and-partly in section showing an improved valve mechanism.

Like characters of reference designat e similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawings.

As illustrated, 1 designates as a whole, a threshingmachine provided with a housing 2 for the internal mechanism thereof, certain of the side boards of the housing being omittedvfor purposes of illustration. A blower 3 is shown connected with the discharge end of the housing 2 and a stacker 4, communicates with the blower 3. The threshing machine is shown to be of the portable type, bearing wheels being indicated at 5 and 6.

During the passage of the grain from the threshing. cylinder 7 throughout the several sieves 8 to the blower 3, the entire interior ceptible to ignition this dust is, when it is considered that it is not only in a thoroughly dry state but is subjected to a fairly high temperature in the housing by reason of the hot atmosphere under which the ma: chine is operated. When to these conditions is added the fact that a great deal of friction is generated by the agitation of these dust particles, their susceptibility to ignition will be readily appreciated.

10, the spray pipes being suitablyperfo rated for the discharge therefrom in efficient distribution of a suitable preventive or ex tinguishing medium. A supply pipe 11 is connected with the manifold 10, and interposed in the supply pipe 11 is an intermittently operating valve 12, which may be of the rotating type. The valve 12 is provided with a. valve stem 13 on which a worm wheel 14 is mounted.- A worm 15, suitably journaled, meshes with worm wheel 1-1: and is mounted upon a worm spin dle 16. Spindle 16 is provided with a keyed sleeve 17, slidable thereon, and provided with pin locking slots 18. Adriving spindle 19 telescopes sleeve 17 and is provided.

with pins 20 for engagement with the pin.

slots 18 to prevent relative independent rotation of spindles 16 and 19 when the parts are in the adprstment shown in Flg. 6. A

bevel gear 21 is mounted on spindle 19 and meshes with a bevel gear22 on shaft 23.

Shaft 23 may be any one of the constantly operated shafts of the threshing machine. The supply pipe 11 is also interrupted by an emergency valve which comprises a. valve casing 24: and a valve closure 25. The latter is of the rotating type and is ported at 26, so that it may be brought into and out of registry with supply pipe 11. The intermittent or service valve 12 may be internally constructed in a manner similar to the emergency valve just described.

Supply pipe 11 leads to a tank 27 which v is shown provided with a hand hole.28 and a suitable closure 29 therefor. Said tank 27 is also provided with a removable head 30 to permit of ingress and egress for charging and cleaning operations, respectively. The tank 27 will be charged by a suitable chemical such for instance as sodium carbonate, and within the tank 27 is afrangible container 31, in which is disposed a chemical such as sulfuric acid.

The container 31 may be in. the form of a glass bottle, andl provide a holder there for which comprises a spring clip 32 having a yieldinglining 33. The spring .clip .32 may be provided with a clasp device comprising ,members 34 and35. The spring clip .33 is mounted upon a base36from V which supporting rods.37 and 38 depend from the interior of the tank 27 to support the bottle 31 in the manner shown in Fig. 2.

l/Vithin the tank 27 is disposed an agitating device which may comprise a rod 39 extending through a suitable stuffing box 40, in one end of the tank. Attached to the rod 39, in suitable spaced relation, is a plurality of agitators 41:1, for agitating the tank contained ingredient of the extinguishing medium. To one of said agitators 41 is attached a breaking device which may be in the form of a rod 42. Said rod 42 is disposed in such a manner that during initial reciprocation of the rod 39 to the left of Fig. 2, it will engage and break the container 31 so that the contents of the latter will combine with the tank ingredient to produce carbon dioxid. An operating lever 43 is pivoted to the removable head 30, at as, and is provided with an operating end 45. The operating lever 43 is slotted .at 4:6 and a pin 47 011 rod 39 projects through said slot eiG to form an operative connection between rod 39 and lever 4-3. Lever 4-3 18 connected by a link 18 with arm 4.0 of emergency valve 2st.

After rod 39 has been reciprocated so as to obtain a. considerable generation of the extinguishing medium, then the lever 13 will be allowed to rest so that port 26 will register with supply pipe 11. This will permit the extinguishing medium flowing through .the spray pipes and into the interior of the housing 2 to extinguish a that has been. started from any of the causes hereinbefore enumerated.

A hose cock50 may constitute connecting .means in case it is desired to use a hose for as an emergency extinguisher in case of fire having actually started.

I will now descrlbejthe novel constructron .whereby the same source of supply .may be utilized as a service lire preventing apparatus.

Service containers 54: adapted to contain sulfuric acid or any one ingredient to be combined with the more bulky tank ingre client employed, are disposed partly in the tank27. -Packing glands 55 preserve an air. tightfitand the containers are mounted on supports 56. .The upper vends of the containers 5 1 are closed by stoppers 57 and the lower ends are closedby stoppers 58. v.Stoppers, 58 are heldin partly open positions to permit the contentsto-slowly drip out of contail'iers 54, by means which may comprise angle arms 59, connected with the stoppers 58, and extending through packing glands 60. The arms 59 are suitably threaded so as to be engaged by adjusting nuts 61.

Now during normal operation, the parts will be so connected that the emergency valve 24 will be normally open. There willbe a constant but limited generation of carbon diexid in the tank 27 because of the dripping discharge from containers 54. The service valve 12 will intermittently open the supply to the spray pipes 9 so that the interior atmosphere of the housing 2 will be intermittently sprayed with any suitable medium that may be selected. Under any ordinary circumstances, no fire can start besingle mechanism, combined constant service and emergency features which render the device of my invention capable of effectually meeting any exigency that could possibly arise, of the character referred to.

I claim 1. In combination, a machine provided with a housing and means for intermittently treating the air in said housing during operation of said machine, substantially as described.

2. In combination, a machine provided with a housing, a source of supply of fire preventing or extinguishing medium, and a constantly operated valve means opening and closing for causing an intermittent discharge of such medium onto said housing, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a machinecomprising a housing, a tank carried by said housing for the generating a supply of fire extinguishing medium, a supply pipe leading from said tank, spray pipes leading from said supply pipe and extending interiorly of said housing, an emergency valve in said supply pipe, a service valve in said supp-1y pipe, means for connecting said service valve with an operating portion of said ma- Copies of this patent may be obtained for chine to constantly operate said service valve, and agitator means operatively connected With said emergency valve for effecting an emergency generation of said medium, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a machine comprising a housing, a tank carried by said housing for the generation of a supply of fire extinguishing medium, a supply pipe leading from said tank, spraypipes leading from said supply pipe, means for causing a constant but limited generation of said medium in said tank, and a constantly opening and closing valve in said supply pipe for controlling discharge of said medium from said sprav pipes, substantially as described.

7 5. In combination, a machine comprising a housing, a tank carried by said housing for the generation of a supply of fire extinguishing medium, a supply pipe leading from said tank, spray pipes leading from said supply pipe andyextending interiorly of said housing, an emergency valve in said supply pipe, a service valve in said supply pipe remote from said emergency valve with respect to said tank, means connecting said servlce valve with a portion of said machine to constantly operate said valve, means for causing a constant'but limited generation of said medium in said tank, and agitator means operatively connected with said emergency valve for causing an emergency generation of such .medium in said tank,

substantially as described.

6. In a fire extinguishing mechanism for a machine of the class described, a tank for containing one of the chemical ingredients to be combined, a frangible container in said tank holding the remaining chemical ingredient, an agitator extending through a packing box and into said tank and comprising a rod provided with a plurality of vanes for agitating the contents of said tank and one of said vanes having a device for disrupting said container on initial move ment of said agitator, an operating lever for said agitator disposed outside of said tank, a pipe leading from said tank, and an emergency valve in said pipe operatively connected with said lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' MELVIN FELLOWS.

Witnesses:

' J. E. W ALEN,

FLonnNoE Run. 7

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Estate, Washington, D. 0." I 

